1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to automatic, premise-monitoring alarm system as for example burglary or burglary/firm alarm systems, and more particularly to network and circuit configurations for alarm system operations as will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.
2. Prior Art
Premise-monitoring alarm systems monitor a given protected premise—say, for example, a residential home, a commercial property, a bank vault, or an ATM machine and the like—for the occurrence of a given event:—e.g., an unwanted intrusion, unauthorized entry or smoke and so on. Some alarm events simply correspond to a “low battery” condition in either the alarm-event sensors or else the protected-premise controller/control panel. Upon detection of a given alarm event, the controller signals the alarm event to a pre-determined receiving site(s), which traditionally has been a central alarm-monitoring station. In the traditional case, the central alarm-monitoring station, which may be a public or private service, may manually process the signal by an attendant who can dispatch police or fire-fighters or alert the property-owners or take whatever other steps are appropriate. Prior art automatic alarm systems have typically transmitted their message traffic over standard voice-grade telephone lines.
FIG. 1 shows an alarm system configuration 50 in accordance with the prior art. This alarm system configuration includes video surveillance by means of camera 52. In FIG. 1, the example protected premise features a certain door 54. This door may be assumed to be a front door to a bank lobby or the like. The door may see heavy traffic during business hours. But after closing time or later, perhaps this door is intended to lock out all but a highly select few who have been given pre-assigned privileges to use the door during the very latest hours.
FIG. 1 includes representation of a guard shack 56. For this bank, it keeps a security guard 58 posted at the shack perhaps twenty-four hours, all seven days of the week. Presumptively, the guard shack is the central receiving site for multiple other alarm controllers, although the drawing shows just one controller 60. Also, presumptively, each alarm controller 60 is linked with multiple sensors, although again the drawing shows just one sensor 62. The protection of this door 54 might be sensitive enough that it justifies video monitoring as well.
The upper half of FIG. 1 provides a sample event table. In this table, a typical sequence of events might comprise the following. At some original time, the door is closed, the controller is armed, the sensor and camera are active, and the guard shack is staffed by a given guard (eg., “user”). The guard shack is provided with a video monitoring system 64 which includes among other things, one or more monitors, a video tape recorder 66, and a switch 68. The switch is used as follows. Perhaps the guard shack has an array of monitors, but perhaps also the guard shack is linked with tenfold as many cameras 62 as it has monitors. These multiple other camera links are shown in the drawing by reference numeral 72 (although the other cameras are not shown). Thus the guard cannot perpetually monitor the channel of all the cameras simultaneously. The guard must flip between channels. Indeed, the VMS 64 is likely to have an automatic sequencer that sequences through the channels of all the relevant cameras. Alternatively, the guard can of course preempt the sequencer and tune in on the channel of a specified camera as the guard wishes. With the foregoing in mind, it is assumed that, at the original time when the door 54 is closed, the guard is switched to channels other than this camera 52 shown by FIG. 1.
At event no. 1, the door opens. The motion sensor 62 detects this event. It signals the controller 60 over a copper wire connection 74. At event no. 2, the controller has started it response. The controller sends a control signal to the local VTR 76 over copper wire 78 to begin recording. The local VTR 76 responds to the control signal and switches ON, however the VTR 76 is linked to the camera by co-axial cable 78. The controller 60 concurrently counts out its pre-set delay time. That is, authorized users might be given twenty (20) seconds to get through the door 54 and over to the controller 60 to enter a password or code. Without a timely entry of an authorized password or code, the controller at event no. 4 signals the guard shack of the prospective alarm event. The link between the controller and guard shack might be achieved by a standard voice grade telephone line 80.
At event no. 5, the guard switches into the channel of this camera. To tune into this camera 52, the guard shack switch must have a co-axial link 82/78 extending directly back all the way to the camera 52 (more accurately, there is a hop at the local VTR 76). Indeed, the switch might be fed the co-axial infeeds of dozens if not hundreds of other cameras. Again, such other infeeds are indicated by reference numeral 72. Logistically, such an expansive grid of co-axial cable 72/78/82 represents substantial resources in installation and maintenance. By event no. 6, the guard begins his or her analysis of the situation, including by transmitting instructions to the camera vis-a-vis the controller, such as pan, zoom, or tilt and so on (hereinafter more simply referenced as PZT). Event no. 7 et seq. show that further analysis continues, with the controller 60 relaying the guard's instructions to the camera. The guard has likely begun recording with the guard shack VTR 66 as well.
There are various shortcomings associated with the prior art configuration(s) of combined alarm monitoring and video surveillance. Installing and maintaining the co-axial cable is costly. Preferably, the guard shack is rather centrally located among the distributed cameras. Cost factors in many cases limit the serviceable distance between the guard shack and any of its cameras it services. There is little economy in having one guard shack in a region service diverse remote properties. The logistics of carrying video signals over co-axial cable virtually proscribe one guard shack per property. Also, once a guard shack site has been chosen, and wired up, it is costly to change that choice and move the guard shack. It is also costly to establish a redundant site(s) as for either back-up purposes or joint analysis purposes by users at various ones of the remote sites simultaneously.
Also, the video data travels over special co-axial cables whereas the command signals travel over other hardwired paths, but not the co-axial cables. Hence there are redundant paths extending between the camera and most devices it feeds video to and/or receives commands from.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to overcome these and other shortcomings of the prior art and provide improved networks and circuits for alarm system operations. Additional aspects and objects of the invention will be apparent in connection with the discussion further below of preferred embodiments and examples.